Rose and the Seven Little Boys
by GreenWallsOfArt
Summary: Another very, very old modern day fairy tale I wrote some years ago.  The title speaks for itself...
1. Lips Red as the Rose

_September 19, 1998,_

I'm feeling really sad today, and I really don't know why I'm writing. The tears are making my diary look all weird.

My mom has died.

I'm really going to miss her. She always made me feel happy when I was under a lot of pressure, and she was always there for me no matter what happened.

And now, that stupid flu has to come along and kill her!

But, now it's just me and my dad.

We were both sitting in his room, crying for my mom. Well, at least my dad is still here.

Oh, I'd better get going. My dad says it's time for me to hit the sheets.

_September 24, 1998,_

I realize it's been a while since I last wrote, but I just don't feel like doing it when my mom isn't there to barge in on me while I'm writing in my diary.

Well, anyway, my mom's funeral is in three days, and I've been helping my dad prepare for her funeral. Here's what we have so far:

She's going to wear her red cardigan, with the white T-shirt that she wore during family time, and her red skirt.

We're going to have it at the Gloria King Funeral Home, and every person from my mom's side of the family will be there.

Also, a few officials will be there to help carry the coffin since she was the mayor's wife.

I'm the mayor's daughter.

Rose White.

My dad is the mayor of our town, called Lovington, in Illinois.

His name is Frank White. My mom's name was Tina White.

But I'm not going to get into life as the mayor's daughter. Right now, I'm going to stick with the funeral subject.

That list is what we have so far, and we still have yet more to do.

_September 27, 1998,_

The funeral = today.

Me and my dad sat in the front pew, watching Mom in her coffin, and listening to the priest drawl on about what is happening to Mom right now in Heaven.

I didn't really listen to the priest, so I just lay down on my dad's arm.

At the cemetery, I could hardly bear to watch them lower Mom into the ground. That was the moment. I would never see her again!

I cried for the third time that day; the first time when the funeral began, second when I saw Mom laying in her coffin, and now.

My dad gave me a small jerk. "It's okay to cry," he said. I nodded. But deep down, I knew I would never stop crying. My mom was forever gone. I was never ever going to be with her again.

When we got home, I went up to my room, and locked the door so my dad wouldn't hear me crying. I lay down on my bed and cried into my pillow until my dad called me for a game of checkers and cookies and milk. Obviously he wanted to help keep our minds off of Mom, I thought.

I walked downstairs, wiping the tears as I walked. My dad was sitting on the couch, the game set up on the coffee table in front of it. He had the look of sympathy on his face. Then, I knew he probably had heard me crying.

When I reached the couch, he pulled me in his arms. "It's all right honey!" he said comfortingly. "Your mom is in a safe place now. God will take good care of her! Just as much as I'll take care of you!" He pulled me tight.

I felt a little better as he held me close. I hugged him back.

Suddenly, I felt happy. I knew eventually, I was going to get over Mom's death, so I hugged him tighter.

I think today wasn't really so bad after all.

_September 29'th, 1998,_

I can't believe it!

My dad has found another person!

Here's how it went:

Me and my dad went out to lunch today, and as usual, we went out to Billy's House of Beef for burgers. Then, my dad was walking to the soda fountain to refill his drink, and he accidentally walked into a woman. "A lovely woman," he called her.

I saw them mingling when they came back to our table. My dad was holding the woman in his arms. She was looking up into his eyes, and had a look of lovey-dovey on her face. So did my dad.

"Rose," he said. "This is Jade Lipkins. I accidentally made her fall into my arms, and, well, here she is!"

It was very clear to see that my dad was starting to feel something for her.

But after a while, when my dad was looking at the clock, Jade looked across at me and narrowed her eyes at me, along with a nasty snarl.

My dad looked back, and Jade resumed her regular face. "I love your daughter's face!" she said. "Her skin is so white, her hair is so black, and her lips are so red. It's like she's a snow princess!"

"Thank you for the compliments!" said my dad. "Rose, thank Jade for her compliments."

"Thanks," I mumbled. I wasn't going to thank her. True, my skin is really pale, true my hair is very black, and true my lips are very red, but I don't think she thinks I'm "like a snow princess."

"So, you'd like to join us?" asked my dad.

"Oh, yes!" Jade said ecstatically.

I groaned inside my head. Loudly.

Jade looked and snarled at me again.

"First, I need to get a drink," he said, rushing back to the soda fountain.

"What's your father's name?" she asked quickly.

"Frank. Frank White," I replied quickly.

Jade's face turned as white as mine, maybe a little more. "You mean to tell me he's the mayor?" she nearly shouted in my face.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Well, that's mighty wonderful!" she declared. "I think someone like your dad would make a good match! What do you think, honey?"

"You don't!" I said insistently, not bothering with her question.

"I do, you little snowball!" she said even more insistently.

I backed down a little.

My dad came back. I was about to tell him about Jade's comeback, when I realized he probably wouldn't believe me. He must think that Jade was so pretty and nice that she probably wouldn't think of it.

"Hello my two favorite women!" he said sitting down.

Those words got me. He was calling Jade one of his "favorite women." He used to say that when he greeted me and Mom. Instantly, I was reminded of Mom, and I felt anger, almost like crying. It was like Dad was replacing Mom with some wicked hag like Jade. She might have been beautiful, but in my eyes, she was as ugly and gross as a toad covered in mud and vomit from a slime monster!

I could barely eat the rest of my burger, nor drink the rest of my soda.

When we got home, my dad walked to the phone straight away. While we were eating, he had gotten Jade's number, and was probably going to call her.

I sensed he was going to be calling her for a long time, so I went to my room, and began writing in my diary, up until now.

I'm really worried. If this relationship develops enough, then who knows, Jade could be my new stepmother.

If she does, I am so getting out of here!

Wait, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. I'll stay here, I just won't talk to her, go near her, or any of that stuff.

_September 30'th, 1998,_

My dad went on a date with Jade today!

So, I had the whole house to myself, and the babysitter of course.

All I did was sit in my room, and cry a little. And twice today, there were calls from the Town Hall asking where the heck the mayor was. I would have answered and told them that he was out on a date with a hag, but I figured maybe I shouldn't do that stuff.

I couldn't help but feel a little angry at my dad. He just couldn't see what a hag Jade was, and that meant trouble for me, because if Jade became my stepmother, things would never be happy, good, the same, or any of that stuff again!

He came home very late. He was acting all happy, until I told him all about the calls from the Town Hall.

"Oh my gosh!" he cried. "I guess I'd better call and ask them what I missed."

Immediately, he called the Town Hall, and got to work.

I went up to my room, and cried again. Jade was taking over our lives. She was the reason that my dad was missing work at the Town Hall.

And I could tell it was about to get worse.

_October 5, 1998,_

The worst thing in the world happened today.

My dad proposed to Jade!

Yes, proposed. As in asking her to marry him!

In fact, after I found out, I threw up in the bathroom.

Now, he's in the kitchen with Jade, preparing the wedding.

My life is completely over…and done with!

_October 17'th 1998,_

I know I haven't written in a while, but it's because I'm too bummed that my dad is marrying that wicked old witch.

And, my dad is acting like it's the greatest thing on earth. He can't stop talking about it, he can't stop staring into space thinking about her. He should be looking at how ugly she is, and how mean she is to me.

And who knows. Maybe she'll be making me her personal house servant while my dad's not looking! Or worse, she could beat me until I was dead when I did something bad.

Ohhh! I can't even think of it!

Well, my dad told me that the wedding is in at least a week, so I can take some extra time before my dad gets married.

_October 24'th, 1997,_

The stupid wedding was today.

Jade made me be her maid of honor, her bridesmaid, and her flower girl. How unfair is that? How can a person be in three places at once?

That's only because she doesn't have any friends because she is so obsessed with her looks. Yesterday, I saw her go into the bathroom, and she came out gorged in make-up, and dressed in another outfit that was uglier than the one she was already wearing.

Also, I saw her pick up a hand mirror from her dresser when she and my dad were together, and looked at herself while primping her hair.

I nearly gagged when I walked down the isle tossing flowers at the wedding. And worse, I had to go through with the reception. Thankfully, the entirety of my dad's family came to the wedding, and the reception, so I had a little bit of fun.

But, when Jade made the toasts, she didn't even make one to me; her flower girl, her bridesmaid, **and **her maid of honor. And my dad didn't even notice that, he is so crazy about Jade.

And when my dad went off to talk with his friends, Jade came to me, and acted all maternal towards me. Like this:

Me: Hi

**Jade**: You say hello to me like that?

Me: What?

**Jade**: Arrggh! When will you learn to be a good girl? I knew you were a bad girl from the moment I saw you. With that pure white skin! And that hair! And those lips! I can't even bear to look at you!

Me: What's wrong with how I look?

**Jade**: You are even more beautiful than I am. And that makes you a threat to me.

Me: But I didn't mean to be a "threat"

**Jade**: Don't play with me, girl! I know you are planning to get all the attention from your looks, but as long as you stay out of my way, there won't be any trouble! And besides, you are just a worthless little rat!

Honestly, what kind of woman would say that kind of stuff?

And at that moment, I knew my life with my dad was completely over!

_October 26'th, 1998,_

I can barely even write for what happened today.

This morning, I woke up to Jade crying uncontrollably. I ran to the bedroom, and I saw her leaning on my dad. He was lying there, still as a statue, blood flowing from his chest, where a knife was placed.

I leaned down beside Jade. "What happened?" I asked, about to burst into tears.

"He…was…murdered!" Jade shouted. "The police are on their way, and I want them to catch the culprit, and have him hung!"

I lay down on my dad's chest, and cried even more uncontrollably than Jade. I couldn't believe it! He had been murdered!

All of a sudden, I sensed something inside Jade. She was probably the one who murdered my dad, after all she was crying in a very cheesy way.

But I didn't want to reveal it to her face. She already knew!

The police came after a while, and they examined my dad.

"I don't see anything coming out of this," said the detective. "There are no footprints into the house, nor are there any fingerprints on the knife. And, there are no stories from the neighbors about the murder."

"What now?" I asked.

"Well," said the detective. "Let's take a look at the will." He gestured for Jade to hand him the family will, and she did. He looked at it. "According to this, the house and everything in it, and the occupation as mayor would go to his wife. You are his wife right?" he asked Jade.

"Yes," she replied.

"Well, then you shall receive the job as Mayor, and you shall inherit the girl and the house, and everything in between!"

"Excellent," said Jade.

The detective nodded. "Well, me and the group have done everything we can to solve this crime for now. We're going to continue later on." Gesturing for the others to follow him, the team left the house.

Once they were gone, Jade grabbed me by the arm.

"Now listen here, girl!" she said firmly. "Now that your dad is gone, I am your guardian and parent now. You will do as I say, you will do what I tell you to do. You will become my personal house servant, and will work from dawn until dusk. If you refuse, the consequences will be extremely severe. You will also no longer have your nice things, only some rags, your room, your bed, and all those **necessary **necessities. Got it?"

"Yes," I mumbled weakly.

"Good!" she said. "Now, go to your room, and get all your nice things!"

I went to my room, and sat on my bed. I decided not to give her my things. I packed them all in my closet, where I would hide them. I sat down again, and wrote in my diary.

I stopped a few minutes ago, feeling really hungry. Jade hadn't even come up to give me food.

I knew that now, my life wasn't going to be the same ever again. My loving dad was now gone, my mom was dead, and now that monster was giving me more orders than ever.

I'm feeling worse than ever before!


	2. Potential Prince

_June 6'th, 2005,_

My life with Jade is the worst. But I'm not even going to explain it, it's too horrible!

Before I go any further, it's been at least seven years since my dad died, the same with my mom, and I'm now fifteen. And I haven't even written since then, because Jade has filled my time with so many chores, plus my homework. Thankfully, on the day my dad died seven years ago, Jade didn't take away my diary. But sadly, she found all my nice things in my closet, and I ended up with only my bed, my bathroom toiletries, and my diary.

Now back to my story of today.

I worked outside scrubbing the front steps, while Jade was out talking to her fortune-teller friend, Madame Louisa. She goes there every day, even when I'm at school. I can tell because she always comes home with a silly coupon. Obviously, Madame Louisa likes shopping cheaply, I thought.

Even though the work was rather hard, I still performed the task in good spirits. Ever since I saw **Cinderella** with my dad when I was little, I had dreamt of meeting a person I loved very deeply, especially a sweet and caring boy. That was what I had been thinking about during all that scrubbing.

My next door neighbors were out during that time, and they were having a party. Mr. Gregory waved at me while I was scrubbing. "Hey there, Snow!" he cried.

I laughed. The Gregories had given me a nickname; Snow. It was all because of my snow-white skin. It was kind of childish, but it's also very cute. Sort of reminds me that I still have a few people out there who love me.

"Hey, Mr. Gregory!" I called back to him.

I turned my head back to the steps, and I hummed a tune from **Sleeping Beauty. **After a while, I began to sing the words out loud to myself.

After I nearly finished the tune, I heard another voice. It was deep and smooth, and yet very beautiful. It became louder as the song progressed in that voice. I looked into the reflection of the shiny steps, and saw a teenage boy, about my age.

"Oh," I gasped, looking up at him.

"Hi there!" he said. "I'm Zack. What's your name?"

I found myself gasping for breath at that moment. Never before had I seen a guy so handsome; brown hair, ocean blue eyes, and a smile that told me to not be shy.

"I'm Rose," I said getting up. "The one my next door neighbors call 'Snow'".

"That's a neat nickname," Zack said.

I laughed. "Yeah, it is."

Then, I heard a shriek from inside. "ROSE!"

I gasped. "Oh, it's my stepmother," I said quickly.

"Gotta go in?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Bye!"

"See you later!" Zack said as he walked away.

I hurried inside. Jade was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, hands on hips, lips curled into a snarl.

"What took you so long to scrub those steps?" she shouted at me.

"I was just, um, um…" I stammered.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" she said firmly.

"I, uh, I kept running out of water!" I said quickly.

Jade stared at me with narrowed eyes for a few seconds, but then, her expression softened. "All right, Rose. But now, I want you to go and mow the lawns. They're looking a little overgrown."

"Yes, ma'am," I said walking to the garage.

I continued to work when I saw our other neighbor, Mr. McLaken, walk up our front steps. Obviously, they were going to have some social time together, I thought. Finally, Jade was going to get some time out of **my **life.

So, it was just work, work, work for the rest of the day. But I was kind of glad that the school year had ended. Because then, I could get some relaxing time from homework. Then, it was just going to be chores to do, not the both of them.


	3. Seven New Friends

_June 7'th, 2005,_

So, this morning, I was sitting in the kitchen, my little shoulder bag slung over my shoulder, holding my diary in case I had time to write, working on scrubbing the floor, when Jade walked in.

"Rose," she began. "Mr. McLaken has some work for you to do in his garden."

"What?" I asked, getting up from the floor, re-positioning my bag.

"I talked to him yesterday, and he says that he'd be delighted to have you over to work in his garden. There are some extra flowers and weeds he'd like you to pick for him," Jade answered.

"Okay, I guess," I said. "I'll head over there right now."

"Perfect," Jade answered, walking back upstairs.

So, I walked next door, and knocked on the door. Mr. McLaken came to the door at once, and invited me into his flowerbed.

I have never seen a more beautiful thing. Mr. McLaken's flowerbed has every flower in the world: daffodils, roses, daisies, petunias, etc. He showed me where to pick weeds and flowers, and I began work.

I stood on my knees, pulling weeds from the rich soil, while Mr. McLaken watched me work.

But after a while, I saw a scary shadow covering the space where I was working. I looked up, and saw Mr. McLaken, a knife in his hand, poised to strike at my chest!

My heart raced as soon as I saw the knife. My life flashed before my very eyes as I backed against the bushes, the knife about to come down on me at lightning speed.

And just when I thought he was about to stab me, I heard sobbing.

"I can't kill you!" he said, bending down at my feet. "I really want you to forgive me for that! I beg of you!"

"What's going on?" I asked, half frightened.

"It's Jade," Mr. McLaken said, getting up. "She's jealous of you. She wanted me to kill you so she could be the most beautiful woman in the city. I don't know how she found out you were the most beautiful, but I can't do that. I'd be arrested for sure."

I was on the verge of crying of fright and sadness.

"So, see here my dear girl," he continued. "You must run away. You have to leave this place. Go somewhere where she'll never find you! Now!"

"Where will I go?" I asked between tears.

"Anywhere but here!" Mr. McLaken answered. "Now go! I'll do something to cover for you. Hurry up now, or she'll see you!"

Immediately, I ran out of the yard, and into the woods behind Mr. McLaken's house. I ran as fast as my legs could go, hoping they would take me somewhere safe. But since the woods are really dark, I couldn't tell where I was going, but I knew at least that would lead me somewhere away from Jade's plot.

As I ran, I listened to the sounds of the animals making their sounds. But the sound that was loudest of all was the beating of my heart. Never before had I been so scared. It was so dark, and the surfaces of the trees looked like monster faces, ready to gobble me up like a roasted turkey.

I ran for what seemed like an hour, until I finally collapsed beside a tree. I lay there for a minute, and then looked up. Right in front of me, was a small house. I got up, and raced to the house. Perhaps the people who lived there would let me stay with them, I thought optimistically.

I ran, and knocked on the door. No one answered.

I tried again. Still no answer.

I reasoned that there was no one home, but I decided to go inside anyway.

It was dark inside, like it had been in the forest. And it smelled really funny.

"Anyone home?" I called out one last time.

No answer to that one either.

I walked inside and saw there was a small kitchen just ahead of me. I walked into the room, and hoped to find some food in the pantry. I found some bread in the pantry, and some jelly in the fridge, so I fixed myself a jelly sandwich.

Once I finished, I noticed that the house wasn't very clean. The furniture was dusty, the dishes weren't clean, and the garden outside was full of overgrown grass and weeds.

I got an idea right away. If I impressed the family with a clean house, maybe they would allow me to stay with them!

At that instant, I found an old dusty rag, mixed together some soap and water in a bucket from the bathroom, and scrubbed the kitchen floor until it shown like water in the sun.

I dusted the furniture with a rag until they too shone prettily.

I washed the windows, fixed the garden, beat the rugs, and swept the floors of the house until it was clean as a brand new whistle!

But after a while, I found it was near sunset, so I made myself another jelly sandwich, and then decided to see what was upstairs.

I found a large landing with a couch, a TV, and some bookshelves that were a little untidy, so I put the out-of-place books on the shelves in their proper places. I saw one door at one end of the landing, and another on the other. I walked to the nearest one, and peeked inside. I saw a large bed, a computer, a large window, and a door, probably to a closet or a bathroom.

I tried the other room. It had three 3-person bunk beds, and a small bed in the corner, two bookshelves, a dresser, and a door, leading to a closet or bathroom.

I felt pretty tired. So, I lay down on the small corner bed to sleep.

The next thing I knew, I was being awakened by a small boy.

I looked around and saw that there were seven little boys, each about eleven years old or older.

I gasped, and pulled the covers all around me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Who are you?" asked the boy.

"Please, you answer first," I said insistently.

The boys lined up, tallest to shortest.

The tallest spoke first. "I'm Robby."

Here's how it went, going tallest to shortest after Robby.

"Jason"

"Jerry"

"David"

"Matt"

"Peter"

"Kenny"

"Pleased to meet all of you," I said, feeling a bit more at ease with them.

"Who are you?" asked Matt. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm Rose White," I answered. But then, remembering where I was, I shot up further in the bed, and tried to be casual. I hoped I didn't scare them. "I'm sorry that I barged in, I was just scared and lost, in the woods, that's all."

"Wait a minute," Robby said. "Are you the mayor's daughter?"

"Yes, I am," I answered.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Matt, smiling his best.

"I'm fine, but thank you anyway," I answered.

"Well, we can still help if you want us to," David said in a little voice.

"I'm honored to be looking at the mayor's daughter," Jason said. "But I'm not ready to serve a conceited princess."

"Don't be a grump!" Jerry said giving his brother a slap on the back.

"She's not like that!" David said, defending me.

"How do you know she's not going to take off that mask of hers and start giving us orders?" Jason said, snarling at me.

"Just shut up!" Robby snapped at him. Then he turned back to me. "So, why are you here?" he asked me.

"My stepmother tried to kill me," I answered solemnly.

All seven of the boys gasped loudly.

"I'm not surprised," said Jason. "I heard rumors going around in our school that she was the one who killed the mayor. People around here know how cruel she is!"

"Yeah," said Peter. "She's bad."

"Well, she can't get you in our house!" Jerry said, winking at Robby.

"But if she does find her here," Jason continued. "She'll kill us too!"

"How do you know she'll find Rose here?" David asked.

"There have been stories about a fortune-teller going to her house every day," Jason said. "Who knows? Maybe that fortune-teller could tell her where Rose is hiding."

"Fortune-telling isn't true. You know that," Robby scolded.

"It's true," Jason said. "I even heard Dad talking about it before he and Mom left for England. He said he read about it in the newspaper about the killing of the mayor. Now do you believe me?"

"Sorta," said Peter.

"I don't think she'll find me here," I said. "And if you say your parents are out of town, I'll take care of you. I know how to cook and clean."

"You suppose you could make burgers for us on the grill?" Kenny asked in his little voice.

"Of course. My specialties are cookies, muffins, and especially burgers and fruit salad," I explained to the boys.

"I say she stays with us, definitely!" Robby said. "What do you say, boys!"

"She stays!" the rest of the boys shouted.

At that moment, I got out of bed, led the boys downstairs, and went to the fridge to get some burger patties and buns.

The boys sat at the table, awaiting their burgers.

I went outside to the grill, and began grilling.

Once they were all done, I called for the boys to come, and get their burgers.

And here I am, writing all this down while the boys are eating their dinner.

I think they might really like having me as their babysitter. But, I wonder why their parents left them here all alone, when Robby is only 14. Even in my eyes, that's not old enough to be left alone with for a long time.

Anyway, the boys are almost done, so I really ought to stop writing for now. I'll come back later.


	4. Gleeful Evening

_Later…_

Here I am again. The boys really enjoyed their dinner. Their plates were licked clean when I came and picked them up.

Kenny, the sweetheart that he is, invited everyone to dance in the family room, where there was enough open space for all eight of us to dance. Matt turned on the stereo, and we played loud pop music. Me and Jerry did a few dances together, as I did with the rest of the boys, except for Jason. He just sat on a chair and played with the stereo.

Robby did many of the dances with me. He seemed to look into my eyes every time he was even near me. That kind of feeling reminded me of Zack, the boy I met outside a few days ago. In my guy, I could feel the feelings of love tugging at it like a dog to a rope. It also reminded me of how I felt towards Zack after we first talked; him being so kind, so handsome, and all the traits of an angel.

At the same time, I felt kind of guilty. If Robby was looking at me with that same adoring expression, then that meant he _liked _me. I liked Robby as a friend, but I didn't feel I liked him as much as Zack.

I felt that feeling all through the evening, but I soon got over it as the boys danced with me continuously, until they could dance no more!

Once the last CD we played was over, I sat down in an armchair, breathing heavily. "Good times!" I said happily.

"Perhaps you could do something for us now?" asked David.

"Yeah," agreed Jerry. "Like a story or a game."

"Well, all right," I said, sitting up in my chair. I began telling them a ghost story. Here's how it went:

"_One October night, in the dead of night, the little town of Wickerville was sound asleep. Except for one little girl named Mary. She sat in her bed, listening to the sounds of the night. While, meanwhile, up on top of the mountain beside Wickerville, a terrible monster named Boggolar awakened. He raised his hands high, and the most extraordinary things began happening. Mary heard a scream outside, and went outside to investigate. She saw the sky over the mountain darkening, and turning black. The sky over Wickerville became a swirl of green and black. Mary ran from her home, and raced to the cemetery. Green light passed over the graves, and white figures emerged from the stones. The spirits, Mary reasoned. Then, she raced home, grabbed her horse, Cloud, from the stables, and raced in the path of the spirits. She noticed they were going in a circular path around the mountain as they made their way upward. She also saw something moving at the top of the mountain. Since the mountainside wasn't very steep, she climbed the side so she could see what was going on. But suddenly, a spirit flew by, and grabbed her by her shirt, pulling her up the mountain. She and the spirit arrived at the top, and a large dragon-like creature with a man's face stood over them and the rest of the spirits. So now she knew. The rumors about him were true. The citizens of Wickerville had sometimes told stories about Boggolar, and Mary was the first living human to see him for real! Boggolar spread a dust all over the spirits, and they became horrible creatures that turned, and went after Mary. She ran, and soon came to the edge of the mountain. She was scared to jump, but she knew se had to. But, Mary had, by now, realized that there was no way out for her. Either way she turned, she was going to die; either the spirits would eat her alive, or she would jump down the mountain, and fall to her death. Mary closed her eyes, held her breath, and jumped down the mountain. The very next day rolled in after a few hours, and the milkman came around to deliver his morning bottles. He was taking a route around the mountain, and said he saw a small girl lying beside the mountain. He called the doctors of the village, and asked them to examine her. But they came to the sad conclusion that the girl was dead. The doctors contacted the girl's parents, and told them the sad news. Afterwards, many of her relatives said the cause of Mary's death was because of Boggolar. They couldn't have said it better._

After I finished telling them the story, I saw Kenny sitting in Robby's lap, Jerry and David just looking on, and Jason rolling his eyes.

"Did I scare you?" I asked them.

"A little," replied Kenny, while Robby held his brother closer to scare away the frights. I grinned a little sheepishly.

Then, we heard the chime of the grandfather clock in the dining room. "I guess it's bedtime. Now you all go upstairs to bed."

The boys started to file upstairs once Robby had directed me to the guest room, when suddenly, something clicked unexpectedly in my mind.

"By the way," I said. "Didn't your parents even get you a babysitter before they left?"

"Of course they did," David answered me. "She just quit after they left because she thought there were too many of us- too many boys, I guess. And she was just a dopey, boy-obsessed 19-year-old anyway."

I smiled at Robby, and led the others upstairs. I got ready for bed first, and sat in my bed, which is where I am right now, writing. I'm really grateful that the boys let me stay with them! Imagine if they didn't…

Well, I'm going to turn in. Write ya tomorrow.


	5. First Bite

_July 8'th, 2005_,

Well, you just won't believe this! I'm not writing from the boys' house anymore.

I'll tell you after I write all this down.

I made them their favorite breakfast of French toast, and afterwards, I walked outside with the boys to say goodbye to them before they all left for their jobs or their play groups or any other engagements they had.

"Now," Robby said. "There are a few things you have to follow. First ahead, you have to beware of strangers. We wouldn't want them in the house alone with you."

I nodded and gave Robby a hug. He hugged me back, and walked up the front stairs to the road.

Jason slumped up to me. "Now, just don't let anything in the house!" he said firmly. "The consequences are serious, you know!"

"Yes, I know," I said. I gave him a pat on the back, and he just stomped off after his brother.

Jerry and the rest of the gang said goodbye, and gave me warnings. I said yes to all of them, and then went back inside once they'd all left.

I decided to clean up the kitchen first. Then, I decided to work in the landscape outside, where I could garden for a while.

I weeded for a few hours before I decided to go back inside and back some cookies for the boys.

After I had just finished the third batch, I heard a knock at the door.

I answered it, and I was startled for a minute. It was a woman with dark hair, pick cheeks, and a very weird looking dress on. She was carrying a little plastic bag filled with apples.

"Hello, my dear," she said. "Are you alone today?"

I didn't quite answer, following the warnings I was given so much, and my heart pounding slightly.

Then, the woman took a whiff at the kitchen air. "It smells like you're making cookies," she said. "Are you?"

"Yes," I replied, feeling more at ease, but not entirely. "They're oatmeal raisin."

"Well, I'd like to cut to the chase," the woman said. "I've been going from house to house. I work for the community, and I've been selling these freshly picked apples for some money for the communities' special services. Suppose you'd like to buy some?"

I looked at the glossy red apple and green apples. "They look fantastic!" I said, remembering how we actually used to go apple picking when I was really little. The memory, though, was a little too pungent, and I grinned at the apples.

The woman smiled and nodded. "I've had a few of them myself. They're quite marvelous," she said to me.

I finally decided to try an apple. I picked up the glossiest apple I saw and took a large bite.

After that, I felt queasy and very light-headed. Then, there was nothing.

I woke up after a while after to find the boys standing over me. I was lying down on a cot that was outlined with flowers ands bits of grass.

I also saw a teenage boy standing over me as well. I recognized him somehow, but I couldn't think for a second.

Then I realized who he was.

It was Zack!

He bent down, and kissed me.

I smiled, and kissed him back.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We came home to find you unconscious," Robby explained. "Then, when we heard your heartbeat, we brought you to the hospital to check up on you. It was a pretty long time before they could buffer the poison that somehow got into your system, but they told us to bring you back here for some fresh air. Kenny actually thought you could be dying, so he put all these flowers around the bed, sort of like a coffin. We were watching you when this guy came along. He told us he recognized you as he was driving to his friend's house. He kissed you once, and then you just…well, woke up."

"But, how _did_ you die?" asked Kenny.

"Some lady came along, offered me an apple, and there was nothing," I explained.

Then, I suddenly knew who the woman was. It was Jade. It had probably been like the events in Mr. McLaken's garden! She had made another attempt at killing me. And that apple had been poisoned, just as Robby said I had been! What a…well, I can't even say the word!

But I didn't say any of that aloud to the boys. I didn't want them knowing about what had happened with all of Jade's killing attempts.

Then, Zack bent down and held me close. "You want to come do something with me?" he asked. "I was going to my friend's house when I saw you, so you want to come with me?"

I smiled, and nodded. "Of course. I'd like that," I answered.

With that, Zack was about to take me to his car when I turned back. I ran and hugged the boys goodbye.

By the time I got to the top of the hill, they were gazing up forlornly, waving goodbye before I waved back at them one last time before disappearing over the hill and out of sight.

I am now writing in my own room at Zack's house. His parents said it'd be fine if I stayed over for a night after I told them about my dangerous stepmother, then I could go back to the boys' house, and stay there once their parents got back.

I was so happy I had a happy ending. It's like I was in my own fairy tale.

And I was!

But, you know, I wondered what happened when Jade learned from Madam Louisa that I was alive.

I guess I can only hope she got jealous and resigned being mayor, and ran away to another city, where then she could finally be fairest in the land.

If she did that, at least she'll be happy she finally got what she wanted. And for me, I finally got out of her life, and she's out of mine. And hopefully, she has her resigning done soon.

It's hard to believe something as wonderful as this has happened to me. I ran from my wicked stepmother, I got my prince, and I have a promising happily-ever-after to look forward to.

Truly, it really IS a fairy tale!


End file.
